How to Decrease Noise Levels in Industry
One of the main problems concerning ergonomics in the industry is that of noise. Excessive noise in an industrial factory can lead to major accidents, and even long-term hearing problems for employees. For further explanation on the subject click here! With noise being such an extreme problem for practically all carts in the industrial setting we have come up with a couple solutions to help reduce your noise levels.
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) has specific guidelines regarding the amount of noise that carts are allowed to make in order to ensure safety. To help follow these guidelines carts are able to be retrofitted so that noise emitted by carts is minimal. However, this is not optimal because it can be very expensive and if you can save money rather than spend it is better. The ideas discussed are cost effective ideas that are meant to not only help decrease cart noise but also improve work quality and safety.
Wheel Composition:
A wheel's composition largely effects the noise level the wheel creates. The harder the wheel is, the more sound and vibration is produced by the wheel and the cart. In order to compromise between both a firm, durable wheel, and the sound level that is produced by the cart the wheel must be firm enough to carry the load required while sill being soft enough that the vibrations produced are minimal while traveling with the cart.
Generally, Polyurethane treaded wheels are used because they are not only able to carry the industrial sized cart loads needed, but they are also noise resistant. The best wheel to choose is typically between 70A to 70D in durometer range. The wheel, we at Caster Works Inc. would best recommend is the CW Ultra Wheel (Click Here).
A tip to remember is that although soft wheels, or those with a softer tread are able to easier reduce noise; they are more difficult to roll across floors and have less wear resistance. Another issue is that debris and other materials also often become stuck, which further reduces caster performance.
Caster Types For Noise Reduction
Spring-Loaded casters are designed with a cantilevered spring mechanism that supports the load while dampening the shock and vibration that come from the caster on the floor. Different combinations of the spring capacity are able to provide varying degrees of noise reduction at specific weight loads. However, "pre-load" on the spring is able to be determined and designed into the final product. This caster type is able to hold loads that range from a few hundred pounds to over 20,000lbs.
Shock Absorbent Wheels contain a newly designed flexural spring that is manufactured into the wheel that is encased in elastomer. This dampens noise made by the cart by 70% without any extra change needed to be made to the cart. This wheel type is also able to be fit into existing caster rigs.
CW Ultra Wheel (Click Here) is probably the wheel we at Caster Works Inc. would best recommend. This is due to its noise reduction ability, maintenance free design -- that allows for longer caster life -- and the wheel's ability to store energy leading to a reduction of push and pull effort.
For the best results using a combination of these applications in order to provide the most maximum noise reduction. If you need any help with noise reduction we at Caster Works Inc. are willing to help steer you in the right direction.
